weasel. (vertebrate zoology). The common name for at least 12 species of small, slim carnivores which belong to the family Mustelidae and which have a reddish-brown coat with whitish underparts; species in the northern regions have white fur during the winter and are called ermine.
If you or your child has strep throat, your doctor will likely prescribe an oral antibiotic. If taken within 48 hours of the onset of the illness, antibiotics reduce the duration and severity of symptoms, as well as the risk of complications and the likelihood that infection will spread to others.
Without antibiotics, you may be contagious for two or three weeks; most people who take them, however, are no longer contagious 24 hours after the start of treatment. Other people also experience relief from the symptoms of strep once they've started taking antibiotics.